What I Found Out When I Had to Take It Easy

Learning to Slow Down

The Best Laid Plans…

When you think you know where you are headed, life has a way of changing your plans. I was recently caught by surprise by some health issues, which left me no choice but to stop and simply focus on my recovery. Here’s what I found out when I had to take it easy.

When I had my double mastectomy years ago, my doctor advised me I might need to replace my implants around the 10-year anniversary date. So a few months before, I flew to visit my surgeon in L.A. He examined me – no tests or scans – and recommended the implants be replaced. He simply said he didn’t like the way they looked. During the procedure, he discovered surprisingly an implant had ruptured, but cleaned it up and replaced both originals.

Maybe What You Didn’t Know

In retrospect, I had a feeling something was amiss due to unexplained fevers and aches I had been experiencing for a few months. Some background here in case you have recently discovered this site: as my mother and other relatives had endured breast and ovarian cancer, I tested positive for the BRCA-2 gene, and proactively chose to have a preventative double mastectomy.

To our great shock, we discovered I already had previously undetected breast cancer in both breasts. Making the decision to have the surgery saved my life. Like it was then, my instincts this time around were also correct. Being proactive and choosing to have the implants replaced proved to be spot on.

What I Definitely Wasn’t Prepared For

What I didn’t anticipate was contracting a major infection. In the seven surgeries I had prior, I had no issues whatsoever. But this time, it was a “big event,” something my doctors repeatedly told me during this ordeal. I ended up needing a second emergency surgery followed by a week-long hospitalization. I wasn’t allowed to return home for over a month.

The First Thing I Learned

What I learned first and foremost during this experience was I didn’t NEED to do anything. It was okay to relax and let my body heal. This really was a revelation to me. I always feel like I have to be busy and it’s incredibly challenging for me to be still. The litany of things I needed to do in my head was not important but taking care of myself was.

Dust on the table, unfinished laundry and stacks of paperwork would wait. I had no choice but to surrender and simply turn away from tasks I was unable to complete. Instead, I looked to what I could enjoy in my diminished state: sunshine, lazy naps with my dogs, spending time with my husband, the company of good friends, reading books, daydreaming.

What Surprised Me

Probably what surprised me the most was how this quiet time unleashed my creativity in a newly profound way: I jotted down more ideas, pondered ways to share helpful content for this website, crafted new bits and pieces for my writing endeavors, and thought of about a million other inventive revelations.

I plugged it all into an organizational tool I use at work (it’s free!) to keep track of projects. Once I had a place to put it, the river really started to flow. I went back through journals and my Notes app on my phone to compile all of my ideas and it truly inspired me.

Moving Forward

Now I better understand the pressure I regularly put on myself to “get things done” takes away the privilege of enjoying life a little bit more. It also dilutes my prolific creativity. So, I learned. I learned to leave it because it will still be there when you get back. And I learned to get quiet because this is when the ideas come.

We only have this one life, so spend it doing things which light the fires inside you, or bring you a little joy, peace or contentment. Slow down, and you will fill up.

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